Rapid discharging hopper car door actuating mechanism

ABSTRACT

A mechanism for opening and closing a pair of horizontally hinged doors, such as on a railroad hopper car, having a tie-rod actuating means adapted to be rotatably mounted to a car, a pair of tie-rods with each tie-rod pivotally and slidably joined at a first end to the tie-rod actuating means and joinable at the second end of one of the doors on the car, the first ends of the tie-rods being slidable in an arcuate sector guide path in the tie-rod actuating means, a stop at one end of the guide path being capable of limiting downward displacement of the tie-rods when the door is open and said same means at the guide path end upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in one direction lifts the tie-rods to maximum upward position thereby rotating a door to which it may be attached into closing and locking position, and means at the other end of the guide path which, upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in the opposite direction through an angle defined by the length of the arcuate sector guide path and with the tie-rods stationary, forces and frees the first end of the tie-rods from maximum lifted and locked position to fall unrestrainedly downwardly through the arcuate guide path thereby permitting the door to which it is attached to rotate open rapidly by gravity.

[ June 25, 1974 RAPID DISCHARGING HOPPER CAR DOOR ACTUATING MECHANISM James C. Heap, Munster, Ind.

Thrall Car Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill.

2] Filed: Apr. 19, 1973 Appl. No: 352,693

Related U.S. Application Data Inventor:

[73] Assignee:

Primary Examiner-Lloyd L. King Assistant ExaminerHoward Beltran Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Merriam, Marshall, Shapiro & Klose [5 7] ABSTRACT A mechanism for opening and closing a pair of horizontally hinged doors. such as on a railroad hoppercar. having a'tie-rod actuating means adapted to be rotatably mounted to a car. a pair of tie-rods with each tie- [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 297,788. Oct. 16, rod pivotally and slidably joined at a first end to the 1971 tie-rod actuating means and joinable at the second end of one of the doors on the car, the first ends of the tiel l Cl rods being slidable in an arcuate sector guide path in 105/304, 105/307 the tie-rod actuating means, a stop at one end of the Cl 361d B6|d 1 561d guide path being capable of limiting downward dis- Of Search placement of [he tieq'ods when the door is pen and 105/304 305, 307 said same means at the guide path end upon rotation V of the tie-rod actuating means in one direction lifts the References Cited tie-rods to maximum upward position thereby rotating UNITED STATES PATENTS a door to which it may be attached into closing and 727,587 5/1903 Christianson 105/290 f P Q and the and of the 731,525 6/1903 Trapp 105/290 x gulde P whlcht p rotatlon of tha lie-rod HCWQP 3.675.590 7/1972 Schuller 105/240 ing means in the opposite direction through an angle 2,893,327 7/1959 Lund 105/290 X defined by the length of the arcuate sector guide path 3,187,684 6/1965 Ortner 105/290 X and with the tie-rods tationary, forces and frees the DeRldder l first end of the tie rods from maximum and locked position to fall unrestrainedly downwardly "j throu h the arcuate guide path thereby permittin the 35110730 1/1973 Austgen et a1 105/290 x door s which it is attached to rotate Open rapidlgy by gravity.

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FI6J4 RAPID DISCHARGING HOPPER CAR DOOR ACTUATING MECHANISM This invention relates to apparatus for quickly opening doors, and especially doors which function as barricades to prevent flow or movement of a free flowing solid particulate or granular material from a hopper or storage tank. More particularly, this invention is concerned with improvements in apparatus or mechanisms for quickly opening doors closing discharge openings on vehicles used to transport granular or particulate material, such as doors on railroad hopper and gondola cars.

Particulate materials which readily flow are often stored in a hopper or tank. The hopper or tank is often fitted with one or more doors which close suitable discharge openings in the hopper or tank through which the particulate material can be readily emptied by gravity flow upon opening of the door. Although one or more doors may be used to close an opening, each door is generally rotatably mounted by means of a horizontal hinge arrangement. Not only are such doors used on stationary tanks and hoppers but they are also widely used on vehicles for transporting particulate material, such as trucks and railroad hopper and gondola cars.

The prior art discloses various types of apparatus and mechanisms for opening and closing doors which when closed bar flow of a particulate material through an opening in a hopper, tank or other storage container. Prior art pertaining to apparatus and mechanisms for opening and closing doors on railroad hopper and gondola cars is as follows: US. Pat. Nos. 3,675,590; 3,675,59l; 3,654,873 and 3,187,684.

Although the door opening mechanisms of the prior art can be employed for the intended purpose, it is believed that alternative mechanisms characterized by unique quick opening features could be advantageously employed, not only on a railroad hopper or gondola car, but also on other vehicles which transport or store particulate material such as stone, coal, sand, corn cobs, grain, wood chips, ores, plastic pellets and the like as well as on stationary storage tanks and hoppers for such material.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a novel mechanism for quickly opening a horizontally hinged or pivoted door used to close or seal off a discharge opening in a tank or hopper for particulate material. The mechanism is suitable for use on stationary storage containers as well as on containers or hoppers located on transport vehicles, such as trucks or railroad cars.

The mechanism of the invention, apart from its installation on a container for particulate material, comprises at least one tie-rod actuating means adapted'to be rotatably mounted on a hopper or other storage container, whether stationary or mounted on a vehicle, a pair of tie-rods with each tie-rod pivotally and slidably joined at a first end to the same or separate tie-rod ac tuating means and adapted to be joined at the second end to one of a pair of doors which is horizontally hinged, the first end of each tie-rod being slidable in an arcuate sector guide path in the same or separate tierod actuating means, means at one end of the same or separate guide paths being capable. of limiting downward displacement of the tie-rods when the doors to which they can be attached are opened and the said same means at the guide path end upon rotation of the tie-rods actuating means in one direction lifts the tierods to maximum position to thereby rotate the doors to which they can be attached into closed and locked position over at least two openings in the storage container, tank or hopper. The mechanism also includes a means at the other end of the same or separate guide paths which upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in the opposite direction through an angle defined by the length of the same or separate arcuate sector guide paths and with the tie-rods stationary, forces and frees the first end of the tie-rods from maximum lifted and locked position to fall unrestrainedly downwardly through the same or separate arcuate guide paths thereby releasing the tie-rods and permitting any door to which they are attached to rotate open rapidly by gravity and the force of a particulate load against it. Each of the tie-rod actuating means can comprise specifically a horizontal shaft, an arcuate sector having an arcuate guide path therein mounted on the horizontal shaft, a circular drive gear on the horizontal shaft, said arcuate sector and drive gear rotating in unison on the horizontal shaft, and means cooperating with the drive gear to rotate it in two directions. When more than one tie-rod actuating means is used it can be mounted on the same horizontal shaft as the other tie-rod actuating means.

The door opening mechanism provided by this invention is particularly suitable in use in trucks and railroad vehicles which employ hoppers or other containers for transporting particulate material. The mechanism is readily installed in such vehicles for opening one or more doors horizontally hinged at the bottom of a hopper or other container for closing a gravity discharge opening therein.

The door opening and closing mechanism of this invention can be used to open a pair of doors which rotate in opposite directions so that they can be opened substantially simultaneously or closed substantially simultaneously. In addition, the mechanism can be used in a plurality of installations on a vehicle or other stationary apparatus having a multitude of doors to open all of the doors in pairs simultaneously, and with each door of each pair rotating opposite to the other door in the pair during the opening and closing operation sequences.

The invention will be described further in conjunction with the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational diagrammatic view of a railroad hopper car equipped with a plurality of the door opening and closing mechanisms of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 3 laterally through the lower part of the hopper car of FIG. 1 and shows an end view of a door opening and closing mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view from the bottom upwardly towards the door opening and closing mechanism shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view like FIG. 3 but with the door opening mechanism rotated to the position where the doors are ready to drop open instantly by gravity action;

FIG. 6 is a view like FIGS. 3 and but with the doors partially open and free to fall to fully open position;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view much like FIGS. 3, 5 and 6 but with the doors fully open and the mechanism positioned to coincide with the doors in essentially fully open position;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of an alternate driving means to rotate the horizontal shaft which operates the door opening and closing mechanism;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view partially in section and much like FIG. 3 except that a second embodiment of door operating mechanism is disclosed in which the top ends of the two tie-rods are connected to the ends of a link;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 but with the door operating mechanism rotated to the position where the doors are ready to drop open instantly by gravity action;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIGS. 9 and 10 but with the doors fully open and the door operating mechanism positioned to coincide with the doors in essentially fully open position;

FIG. 12 is a view from the bottom upwardly towards the door operating mechanism positioned as shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a side elevational view partially in section and much like FIG. 3 except that a third embodiment of door operating mechanism is disclosed in which the top ends of the two tie-rods are pivotally connected to the same shaft; 1

FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 13 but with the door operating mechanism rotated to the position where the doors are ready to drop open instantly by gravity action;

FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIGS. 13 and 14 but with the doors fully open and the door operating mechanism positioned to coincide with the doors in essentially fully open position; and

FIG. I6 is a view from the bottom upwardly towards the door operating mechanism positioned as shown in FIG. 15.

So far as is practical, the same parts or elements which appear in the various views of the drawings will be identified by the same numbers.

With reference to FIG. I of the drawings, there is illustrated a railroad hopper car comprising a body 10 mounted on conventional wheel trucks 11. The railroad hopper car body It) has conventional vertically disposed side walls terminating at their ends in inclined end walls having slope sheets 12 which terminate in a more or less horizontal bottom rectangular area defined by the sidewalls of the car and the bottom of slope end sheets 12. The rectangular bottom area is divided into four car emptying areas A, B, C and D. Each of the emptying areas A, B, C and D is divided in a direction longitudinal to the railroad car by a center sill 13 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which extends the length of the railroad car. Each of the emptying spaces A, B, C and D has a pair of horizontally hinged doors 14 and 15 of similar construction. Each door when in closed position is downwardly sloped to further aid in gravity unloading of particulate material transported by the railroad car.

As shown in FIG. 2, door 15 is made in two sections 15a and 15b. Each of the door sections is rotatably secured by hinges 1151 along its top horizontal edge to the bottom part of the railroad hopper car. Each door section 15a and 15b is joined together by a bar 16 to form a door which moves as a unit. The door 14 is in all essential respects identical to the door 15. Door 14 is also rotatably mounted by hinges 141 to the bottom of the railroad car body shown by FIG. 2. Each of the doors l4 and 15 opens and closes one-half of the open spaces A, B, C and D (FIG. 1). The construction of such doors is considered conventional and not part of this invention. The invention, however, is not to be considered limited to such specific door structures as described since it is applicable to many other horizontally hinged door arrangements used to close discharge openings to prevent flow of particulate material from a storage hopper or container.

FIGS. 2 to 7 illustrate one embodiment of a door opening and closing mechanism provided by this invention which can be used to open and close one or more pair of doors l4 and 15 simultaneously. Mounted on horizontal shaft 20 below center sill 13 is a circular gear or worm wheel 21. Mounted on the same shaft 20 is arcuate sector 22 having a guide path 23. Tie-rod 24 has its upper end 25 pivotally and slidably positioned in guide path 23. The lower end 26 of tie-rod 24 is pivotally mounted on arm 27 which extends outwardly and downwardly from bar 16 on door 15. The tie-rod 24 has a bent portion 28 where it comes into close relationship with hub 29 of arcuate sector 22. The tie-rod 24 is shown composed of two identical elements, 24a and 24b (FIG. 2), with one mounted on each side of arcuate sector 22. If desired, only one element 24a or 24b need be used. The described mechanism when activated serves to open and close door 15.

The mechanism used to open and close door 14 is much like that used to open and close door 15. Thus, arcuate sector 39, having guide path 32 therein, is also mounted on shaft 20. The upper end 33 of tie-rod 34 is pivotally and slidably positioned in guide path 32. The lower end 35 of tie-rod 34 is pivotally joined to arm 36 which is joined to a bar, like bar 16 on door 15, on door 14 which unites the two sections of door 14. Tie-rod 34 has a bent portion 37 which projects around a hub on arcuate sector 39. The tie-rod 34 is shown composed of two identical elements 34a and 34b (FIGS. 2 and 4), with one mounted on each side of arcuate sector 39. If desired, only one element 34a or 34b need be used.

Although arcuate sectors 22 and 39 are essentially identical and of the same size and shape, the arcuate sector 22 is positioned about 30 counterclockwise with respect to arcuate sector 39 on shaft 20. This arrangement of the arcuate sectors serves to lock the tierods 24 and 34 in position when the doors are closed.

With reference to FIG. 2, center sill 13 has a top 41 and sides 42 and 43. Horizontal flange 44 extends out wardly from the lower edge of wall 42 and flange 45 ex tends outwardly from the lower edge of side 43. Pillow block 46 is bolted or welded to the bottom of flange 44 to support one end of shaft 20. Similarly, pillow block 47 is bolted or welded to the bottom of flange 45 to support the other end of shaft 20.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, drive shaft 50 extends for most of the length of the hopper car. It is supported in bearings 51 which are positioned in spaced-apart relationship on the bottom surface of the top 41 of center sill 13. A pulley or sprocket 52 is mounted on the end of shaft 50. Motor 53 is mounted on the top 41 of center sill 13 and pulley or sprocket 54 is mounted on the motor shaft. Belt or chain 55 is placed on pulleys or sprockets 52 and 54 so that the power from motor 53 can be transferred to drive shaft 50 in either clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Four worm gears 56 are mounted on shaft 50 with each worm gear meshed with a circular gear or worm wheel 21. Each circular gear 21 is positioned in a gear housing 60.

The door operating mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 employs two arcuate sectors. Each arcuate sector operates one of the two tie-rods. Rotation of gear 21 rotates both of the arcuate sectors in the same direction at the same rate of angular velocity. FIG. 3 of the drawings shows the position of the door operating mechanism when doors 14 and 15 are both closed and the mechanism is in locked position. Not only is there an inherent locking action through the gear relationship between worm gear 56 and circular gear 21 but there is a separate complementary locking action achieved by having the ends of each tie-rod positioned such that a line 65 drawn through the ends 25 and 26 of tie-rod 24 is located on the right side of shaft 211 and so that similarly, line 66 which passes through ends 33 and 35 of tie-rod 34 is also on the right hand side of shaft 20. This effects an over center toggles locking. As a result, the particulate lading material in the car which presses against doors l4 and 15 serves to pull the tie-rods in a direction opposite that which is needed to position the tie-rods so that the doors can be opened. The upper end 25 of tie-rod 24 cannot move counterclockwise because it is prevented from doing so by the end of guide path 23 when the arcuate sector 22 is positioned as shown in FIG. 3. Similarly, the upper end 33 of tie-rod 34 is prevented from moving counterclockwise by being located at the end of guide path 32 in arcuate sector 39.

FIG. shows the door operating mechanism of FIG. 3 in position for the doors to begin opening substantially simultaneously by means of gravity and the force of the particulate lading material in the railroad car. By means of drive shaft 50 and worm gear 56 circular gear 21 is caused to rotate counterclockwise through slightly more than one-half of a revolution of shaft 20. Both arcuate sectors 22 and 39 rotate counterclockwise simultaneously to such position but during such rotation the upper ends 25 and 33 of tie-rods 24 and 34 remain more or less in the position shown in FIG. 3. Once the mechanism has been rotated to the position shown in FIG. 5, only a slight additional counterclockwise rotation is needed to place the upper ends of tierods 24 and 34 in a downwardly free sliding movement controlled by guide paths 23 and 32. FIG. 6 illustrates the position of the mechanism with the doors partially open and still falling. The doors continue their downward rotational movement until door 14 hits a spring bumper 70 mounted on a base 71. Similarly, door hits the spring bumper 72 mounted on base 73. The spring bumpers 70 and 72 prevent undue force from being applied to the doors 14 and 15 as they swing open rapidly. The guide paths 23 and 32 are of such length that the upper ends of the tie-rods do not contact the lower extreme ends of the guide paths when the doors are in their fully opened position. The only parts subject to the acceleration of gravity are the doors and the offset tie-rods. Thus, no shock from the doors opening is transferred to the door opening-closing mechanism or to the driving mechanism.

FIG. 7 shows the door operating mechanism of FIGS. 2 to 6 in a fully open position and with the doors at rest. It should be noted that the arcuate sectors 22 and 39 are illustrated in FIG. 7 in essentially the same position as in the opening stages illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The door operating mechanism described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7 closes doors 14 and 15 tightly by reversing the movement of drive shaft 50. This in turn causes worm gear 56 to rotate circular gear 21 in a clockwise direction. Arcuate sectors 22 and 39 thereby rotate clockwise at the same rate as circular gear 21 and in doing so lift the upper ends 25 and 33 of tie-rods 24 and 34 thus effecting upward rotation of the doors 14 and 15 until they are in the closed double-locked position illustrated by FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 illustrates alternative machinery which can be used to drive shaft 50. As shown in FIG. 8, motor has a bevel gear 76 mounted on the motor shaft. Bevel gear 76 is meshed with bevel gear 77 located on the end of shaft 50. The described drive mechanism can be employed, if desired, instead of the belt drive system, or chain drive system, previously described and illustrated such as in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 9 to 12 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention and show a door operating mechanism in which both tie-rods which lift and rotate the doors are connected by a link which is slidably mounted in a single arcuate sector. Thus, arcuate sector 80 has a guide path 81 therein in which link 82 is free to slide from one end to the other of the guide path. Arcuate sector 80 is mounted on shaft 20 which also contains the previously described circular gear 21 which is driven by worm gear 56. The upper end 25 of tie-rod 24 is joined to one end of link 82 and the upper end 33 of tie-rod 34 is joined to the other end of the link, said connections being pivotal in order for there to be movement of the tie-rods as the link slides in the arcuate sector 80 during opening and closing of the doors 14 and 15.

The embodiment of the invention in FIG. 9 has the doors 14 and 15 in closed, doubly-locked position. The doors are locked against inadvertent opening by means of the arrangement of the worm gear with respect to circular gear 21 and through the relationship of the tierods 24 and 34 which are prevented from downward rotation for the reasons previously described in conjunction with the first embodiment of the invention illustrated by FIGS. 2 to 7.

By rotating circular gear 21 from the closed position, shown in FIG. 9, in a counterclockwise direction the arcuate sector 80 is caused simultaneously to rotate at an equal speed in the same counterclockwise direction. Such rotation continues until arcuate sector 80 has made about a one-half counterclockwise revolution to the position shown in FIG. 10. When the door operating mechanism reaches such position, the tie-rods 24 and 34 are positioned such that only a very slight additional counterclockwise rotation frees the link 82 and permits it to slide in guide path 81 downwardly until it reaches about the lower end of the guide path, such as to the position shown in FIG. 11. The doors l4 and 15 open by gravity plus the force of any particulate material in the railroad car applied against the doors 14 and 15. The doors quickly open from the position shown in FIG. 10 to the full open position shown in FIG. 11 permitting very fast dumping of lading in the railroad car.

The closing of doors M and 15 is effected in respect to the door operating mechanism illustrated by FIGS. 9 to 12 by causing circular gear 23 to rotate in a clockwise direction until arcuate sector 80 reaches the position shown in FIG. 9.

FIGS. 13 to 16 illustrate a third embodiment of the inventiion which is characterized by having the upper ends 25 and 33 of tie-rods 24 and 3d pivotally joined together by a pin 90 which extends through roller 91 (FIG. 16) positioned in guide path 81 in arcuate sector 80. This embodiment of the invention is disclosed in FIG. 13 with the doors in closed position. The doors are doubly locked against opening by means of the worm gear 56 and the position of the tie-rods as has already been explained with reference to the embodiment of FIGS. 2 through 7.

The doors l4 and 15 are opened by means of the door operating mechanism shown in FIG. 13 by causing circular gear 21 to rotate in a counterclockwise manner. This causes arcuate sector 80 to rotate in the same direction at the same angular velocity until it reaches the position shown in FIG. M. At or about that point the doors will open with a slight additional counter clockwise rotation of arcuate sector 86. Such slight additional rotation permits the roller 91 to roll down wardly quickly in guide path 81 to the position shown in FIG. 15. At that position the doors l4 and B are both in full open position.

Because of the positioning of both of the upper ends 25 and 33 of the tie-rods 24 and 34, on the same pivot pin 90, it is advisable to provide an elongated opening 96 in the lower end 95 of tierod 34 so that it can be displaced as much as is necessary to permit operable movement of the mechanism and to prevent the left door 14 from being partially closed by opening movement of the door 15. The end 95 is rotatably and slidably mounted on pin 97 which is placed on arm 36.

The door operating mechanism of FIGS. I3 to 16 is used to close the doors M and 15 by reversing the described operation. Thus, by rotating the arcuate sector 80 about one half of a revolution in a clockwise direction the doors will be brought to the fully closed position shown in FIG, l3.

All of the embodiments of the invention described herein open the pair of doors which is used to close a single discharge chute. One door operating mechanism is used for each discharge chute.

Regardless of which of the described door opening and closing mechanisms is employed, by using one of the mechanisms for each ofthe pair of doors l4 and 15 in the railroad hopper car of FIG. 1, each of the pair of doors l4 and 15 can be opened simultaneously to empty the car quickly. Opening and closing of the doors can be effected automatically as the railroad car is in motion rolling on the rails. A suitable trip mechanism can be employed in order to start motor 53 rotating and activate the drive shaft 50 which contains the worm gear 56 used to drive the door opening and closing mechanism. In this way an entire train of railroad hopper or gondola cars can be automatically emptied while the train is in motion and the doors subsequently closed automatically without stopping the train.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. In a vehicle for transporting particulate solid material having at least a pair of openings in the bottom, each opening being closeable by a horizontally hinged door which rotates in a direction opposite to the other door, for gravity discharge of the material therethrough, the improvement comprising:

a tie-rod actuating means rotatably mounted on the vehicle,

a pair of tie-rods with each tie-rod pivotally and slidably joined at a first end to the tie-rod actuating means and joined at the second end to one of the doors,

the first end of the tie-rods being slidable in an arcuate sector guide path in the tie-rod actuating means,

means at one end of the guide path being capable of limiting downward displacement of the tie-rods when the door is open and said same means at the guide path end upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in one direction lifts the tie-rods to maximum over center locked upward position thereby and means at the other end of the guide path which, upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in the opposite direction through an angle defined by the length of the arcuate sector guide path and with the tie-rods stationary, forces and frees the first end of the tie-rods from maximum lifted and maximum overcenter locked position to fall unrestrainedly downwardly through the arcuate guide path thereby releasing the tie-rods and permitting the doors to rotate open rapidly by gravity.

2. A vehicle according to claim 1 including gear means for driving the tie-rod actuating means.

3. A vehicle according to claim 2 in which the drive gear comprises a circular gear and a worm gear drives the circular gear.

4. A vehicle according to claim 1 in which the tie-rod actuating means comprises:

a horizontal shaft,

an arcuate sector, having the arcuate sector guide path therein, on the horizontal shaft,

a drive gear on the horizontal shaft,

said arcuate sector and drive gear rotating in unison on the horizontal shaft, and

means cooperating with the drive gear to rotate it in two directions.

5. A vehicle according to claim 4 in which the vehicle is a railroad car having a center sill and the tie-rod actuating means is located substantially beneath the center sill.

6. A vehicle according to claim 4 in which the tierods are bent and when in maximum overcenter locked position the ends of each tie-rod are in a line which runs on one side of the center of the horizontal shaft and the adjacent part of the tie-rod is on the other side of the center of the horizontal shaft.

7. A vehicle according to claim 1 in which the first ends of the tie-rods are connected together.

8. A vehicle according to claim 1 in which the first ends of the tie-rods are pivotally connected to a link means slidable in the guide path.

rotating the door into closed and locked position,

. 9 9. A vehicle according to' claim 1 in which the first ends of the tie-rods are pivotally connected to the same shaft.

10. A vehicle according to claim 9 in which at least one of the second ends of one of the tie-rods is pivotally and slidably joined toone of the doors.

ll. A mechanism for opening and closing a pair of horizontally hinged doors comprising:

a tie-rod actuatingmeans adapted to be rotatably mounted to a container, a pair'of tierods with each tie rod pivotally and slidably joined at a first end tothe tie-rod actuating means and joinable at the second end to one of the doors on the container,

the first ends of the tie-rods being slidable in an arcuate sector guide path in the tie-rod actuating means,*,

means atone end'ofthe guide path being capable of limiting downward displacement ofthe tie rods' ing means in one direction lifts the tie-rods to maximum o'vercenter locked upward position thereby rotating a door. to which it maybe attached into closing and locking position, and means at the other end of the guide-path which, upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in the oppo- 7 site direction through an angle defined by the length of the arcuate sector guide pathand with the tie-rods stationary, forces and frees the first end of the tie-rods from maximum lifted and overcenter lockedposition to fall unrestrainedlydownwardly through the arcuate guide path thereby permitting a door to which it may be attached to rotate open rapidly by gravity. 12. A mechanism according-to claim 11 in-which the tie-rod actuating meanscomprisesz I a horizontal shaft,

an arcuate sector, having the arcuate sector guide" path therein, on-the horizontal shaft, a drive gear on the horizontal shaft,

said arcuate sector and drive gear rotating in unison on the horizontal shaft, and means cooperating with the drive gear to rotate itin two'directions. L w 13.- In a vehicle for transporting particulate solid material having at least a pair of openings in the bottom,

each opening being closeable by a horizontally hinged door which rotates in a direction opposite to the other door, for gravity discharge of the material therethrough, the improvement comprising: t

a pair of tie-rod actuating means rotatably mounted on the vehicle, means for simultaneously rotating each tie-rod actuating means in the same direction and for simultaneously reversing the direction of rotation thereof,

each tie-rodactuating means having a tie-rod pivotsaid same means at the guide path end upon rota- 10 tion of the tie-rod actuating means in one direction lifts the tie-rod to maximum overcenter locked position thereby rotating the door into closed and locked position, and j v meansat the other end of the guide path which, upon 1 rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in the opposite direction through an angle defined by the length of the arcuate sector guide path and with the tie-rod stationary, forces and frees the first end of the tie-rod from maximum lifted and locked position to fall unrestrainedly downwardly through the arcuate guide path thereby permitting the door'to rotate open rapidly by gravity, said tieerods being lifted and locked in overcenter position, and subsequently released, substantially simultaneously. ,7 t I -14. A vehicle according to claim 13 having a plurality of pairs of bottom openingswith each pair of openings being closeable by separatehorizontally hinged doors operated 'by a-pair. of said tie-rod actuatingvmeans and tie-.rods. v t t f l5.A vehicle according toclaim-13 including gear means for driving thepair of tie-rod actuating means.

16,. A vehicle according to claim 13 in which each tie-rod actuating means rotatesin the same direction at the same rate.

17. A vehicle according to claim 13 in which each tie-rod actuating means comprises:

{a horizontal shaft, c

an arcuate sector, having the arcuate sector guide path therein, on the horizontal shaft,

a drive gear on the horizontal shaft,

said arcuate sector and drive gear rotating in unison on the horizontal shaft, and

means cooperating with thedrive gear to rotate it in I two directions. I c 18. A vehicle according to claim 17 in which the vehicleisa railroad car having acenter sill, and the tierodactuating means are located substantially beneath the center ,sill. 1 j k c 19.,A vehicle according to claim 17in which each tie-rod is bent and when in locked position the ends of the tie-rod are in aline which runson one side of the center of the horizontal shaft and the adjacent part of the tie-rod is on the other side of the center of the horizontal shaft.

20. A vehicle according to claim 17 in which the drive gear is a circular gear and a worm gear is mounted on a shaft for driving the'circular gear.

21. A vehicle according to claim 17 in which the means cooperating with the drive gearto rotate it in two directions includes a worm gear on a rotatable shaft positioned longitudinal to the vehicle.

22. In a vehicle for transporting particulate solid material having a plurality of pairs of adjacent openings in the bottom, each pair of openings being closeable by horizontally hinged doors which rotate in directions opend of the tie-rod being slidable in an arcuate sec-- tor guide path in the tie-rod actuating means,

means for simultaneously rotating each tie-rod actuating means of each pair thereof in the same direcslidable therein where the door to which it is attached is open and said same means at the guide path end upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating each tie-rod actuating means having a tie-rod pivotally and slidably joined at a first end to the tie-rod actuating means and joinable at the second end to one of the doors, with the first end of the tie-rod tion at the same rate and for simultaneously revers- 5 being slidable in an arcuate sector guide path in the ing the direction of rotation thereof and continuing d t ti m a such rotation of each tie-rod actuating means at the means at one d f th id th b i a abl f Same rate, limiting downward displacement of the tie-rod means at one end of each guide P bfiing capable when the door to which it may be attached is open of limiting downward displacement of the tie-rod and Said Same means at the id h d upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in one direction lifts the tie-rod to maximum over center locked position thereby being capable of rotating means in one direction lifts the tie-rod to maximum overcenter center locked position thereby rotating the door into closing and locked position,

means at the other end of the guide path which, upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in the opposite direction through an angle defined by the length of the arcuate sector guide path and with the 0 tie-rod stationary, forces and frees the first end of the tie-rod from maximum lifted and over-center locked position to fall unrestrainedly downwardly through the arcuate guide path thereby permitting the door to which it is attached to rotate open rap- 2 5 idly by gravity,

said tie-rods being lifted and locked in overcenter position, and subsequently released, substantially simultaneously, and

means for simultaneously rotating all tie-rod actuat- 3 ing means.

23. A mechanism for opening and closing a pair of horizontally hinged doors which rotate in opposite directions comprising:

a pair of tie-rod actuating means adapted to be rotatably mounted on a vehicle,

means for simultaneously rotating each tie-rod actuating means in the same direction and for simultaneously reversing the direction of rotation thereof,

the door into closing and locked position, and

means at the other end of the guide path which, upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in the opposite direction through an angle defined by the length of the arcuate sector guide path and with the tie-rod stationary, forces and frees the first end of the tie-rod from maximum lifted and locked in overcenter position to fall unrestrainedly downwardly through the arcuate guide path thereby permitting a door to which it may be attached to rotate open rapidly by gravity,

said tie-rods being lifted and locked in over center position, and subsequently released, substantially simultaneously.

24. A mechanism according to claim 23 in which both tie-rod actuating means are mounted on the same horizontal shaft and each tie-rod actuating means includes:

an arcuate sector, having the arcuate sector guide path therein, on the horizontal shaft,

a drive gear on the horizontal shaft,

said arcuate sector and drive gear rotating in unison on the horizontal shaft, and

means cooperating with the drive gear to rotate it in two directions. 

1. In a vehicle for transporting particulate solid material having at least a pair of openings in the bottom, each opening being closeable by a horizontally hinged door which rotates in a direction opposite to the other door, for gravity discharge of the material therethrough, the improvement comprising: a tie-rod actuating means rotatably mounted on the vehicle, a pair of tie-rods with each tie-rod pivotally and slidably joined at a first end to the tie-rod actuating means and joined at the second end to one of the doors, the first end of the tie-rods being slidable in an arcuate sector guide path in the tie-rod actuating means, means at one end of the guide path being capable of limiting downward displacement of the tie-rods when the door is open and said same means at the guide path end upon rotation of the tierod actuating means in one direction lifts the tie-rods to maximum over center locked upward position thereby rotating the door into closed and locked position, and means at the other end of the guide path which, upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in the opposite direction through an angle defined by the length of the arcuate sector guide path and with the tie-rods stationary, forces and frees the first end of the tie-rods from maximum lifted and maximum overcenter locked position to fall unrestrainedly downwardly through the arcuate guide path thereby releasing the tie-rods and permitting the doors to rotate open rapidly by gravity.
 2. A vehicle according to claim 1 including gear means for driving the tie-rod actuating means.
 3. A vehicle according to claim 2 in which the drive gear comprises a circular gear and a worm gear drives the circular gear.
 4. A vehicle according to claim 1 in which the tie-rod actuating means comprises: a horizontal shaft, an arcuate sector, having the arcuate sector guide path therein, on the horizontal shaft, a drive gear on the horizontal shaft, said arcuate sector and drive gear rotating in unison on the horizontal shaft, and means cooperating with the drive gear to rotate it in two directions.
 5. A vehicle according to claim 4 in which the vehicle is a railroad car having a center sill and the tie-rod actuating means is located substantially beneath the center sill.
 6. A vehicle according to claim 4 in which the tie-rods are bent and when in maximum overcenter locked position the ends of each tie-rod are in a line which runs on one side of the center of the horizontal shaft and the adjacent part of the tie-rod is on the other side of the center of the horizontal shaft.
 7. A vehicle according to claim 1 in which the first ends of the tie-rods are connected together.
 8. A vehicle according to claim 1 in which the first ends of the tie-rods are pivotally connected to a link means slidable in the guide path.
 9. A vehicle according to claim 1 in which the first ends of the tie-rods are pivotally connected to the same shaft.
 10. A vehicle according to claim 9 in which at least one of the second ends of one of the tie-rods is pivotally and slidably joined to one of the doors.
 11. A mechanism for opening and closing a pair of horizontally hinged doors comprising: a tie-rod actuating means adapted to be rotatably mounted to a container, a pair of tie-rods with each tie-rod pivotally and slidably joined at a first end to the tie-rod actuating means and joinable at the second end to one of the doors on the container, the first ends of the tie-rods being slidable in an arcuate sector guide path in the tie-rod actuating means, means at one end of the guide path being capable of limiting downward displacement of the tie-rods when the door is open and said same means at the guide path end upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in one direction lifts the tie-rods to maximum overcenter locked upward position thereby rotating a door to which it may be attached into closing and locking position, and means at the other end of the guide path which, upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in the opposite direction through an angle defined by the length of the arcuate sector guide path and with the tie-rods stationary, forces and frees the first end of the tie-rods from maximum lifted and overcenter locked position to fall unrestrainedly downwardly through the arcuate guide path thereby permitting a door to which it may be attached to rotate open rapidly by gravity.
 12. A mechanism according to claim 11 in which the tie-rod actuating means comprises: a horizontal shaft, an arcuate sector, having the arcuate sector guide path therein, on the horizontal shaft, a drive gear on the horizontal shaft, said arcuate sector and drive gear rotating in unison on the horizontal shaft, and means cooperating with the drive gear to rotate it in two directions.
 13. In a vehicle for transporting particulate solid material having at least a pair of openings in the bottom, each opening being closeable by a horizontally hinged door which rotates in a direction opposite to the other door, for gravity discharge of the material therethrough, the improvement comprising: a pair of tie-rod actuating means rotatably mounted on the vehicle, means for simultaneously rotating each tie-rod actuating means in the same direction and for simultaneously reversing the direction of rotation thereof, each tie-rod actuating means having a tie-rod pivotally and slidably joined at a first end to the tie-rod actuating means and joined at the second end to one of the doors, with the first end of the tie-rod being slidable in an arcuate sector guide path in the tie-rod actuating means, means at one end of the guide path being capable of limiting downward displacement of the tie-rod when the door to which it is attached is open and said same means at the guide path end upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in one direction lifts the tie-rod to maximuM overcenter locked position thereby rotating the door into closed and locked position, and means at the other end of the guide path which, upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in the opposite direction through an angle defined by the length of the arcuate sector guide path and with the tie-rod stationary, forces and frees the first end of the tie-rod from maximum lifted and locked position to fall unrestrainedly downwardly through the arcuate guide path thereby permitting the door to rotate open rapidly by gravity, said tie-rods being lifted and locked in overcenter position, and subsequently released, substantially simultaneously.
 14. A vehicle according to claim 13 having a plurality of pairs of bottom openings, with each pair of openings being closeable by separate horizontally hinged doors operated by a pair of said tie-rod actuating means and tie-rods.
 15. A vehicle according to claim 13 including gear means for driving the pair of tie-rod actuating means.
 16. A vehicle according to claim 13 in which each tie-rod actuating means rotates in the same direction at the same rate.
 17. A vehicle according to claim 13 in which each tie-rod actuating means comprises: a horizontal shaft, an arcuate sector, having the arcuate sector guide path therein, on the horizontal shaft, a drive gear on the horizontal shaft, said arcuate sector and drive gear rotating in unison on the horizontal shaft, and means cooperating with the drive gear to rotate it in two directions.
 18. A vehicle according to claim 17 in which the vehicle is a railroad car having a center sill, and the tie-rod actuating means are located substantially beneath the center sill.
 19. A vehicle according to claim 17 in which each tie-rod is bent and when in locked position the ends of the tie-rod are in a line which runs on one side of the center of the horizontal shaft and the adjacent part of the tie-rod is on the other side of the center of the horizontal shaft.
 20. A vehicle according to claim 17 in which the drive gear is a circular gear and a worm gear is mounted on a shaft for driving the circular gear.
 21. A vehicle according to claim 17 in which the means cooperating with the drive gear to rotate it in two directions includes a worm gear on a rotatable shaft positioned longitudinal to the vehicle.
 22. In a vehicle for transporting particulate solid material having a plurality of pairs of adjacent openings in the bottom, each pair of openings being closeable by horizontally hinged doors which rotate in directions opposite to each other, for gravity discharge of the material therethrough, the improvement comprising: a pair of tie-rod actuating means for each pair of doors, rotatably mounted on the vehicle, each tie-rod actuating means having a tie-rod pivotally and slidably joined at a first end to the tie-rod actuating means and joined at the second end to one of the doors of the pair of doors, with the first end of the tie-rod being slidable in an arcuate sector guide path in the tie-rod actuating means, means for simultaneously rotating each tie-rod actuating means of each pair thereof in the same direction at the same rate and for simultaneously reversing the direction of rotation thereof and continuing such rotation of each tie-rod actuating means at the same rate, means at one end of each guide path being capable of limiting downward displacement of the tie-rod slidable therein where the door to which it is attached is open and said same means at the guide path end upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in one direction lifts the tie-rod to maximum overcenter center locked position thereby rotating the door into closing and locked position, means at the other end of the guide path which, upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in the opposite direction through an angle defined by the length of the arcuate sector guide path and with the tie-rod stationary, forces and frees the first end of the tie-rod fRom maximum lifted and over-center locked position to fall unrestrainedly downwardly through the arcuate guide path thereby permitting the door to which it is attached to rotate open rapidly by gravity, said tie-rods being lifted and locked in overcenter position, and subsequently released, substantially simultaneously, and means for simultaneously rotating all tie-rod actuating means.
 23. A mechanism for opening and closing a pair of horizontally hinged doors which rotate in opposite directions comprising: a pair of tie-rod actuating means adapted to be rotatably mounted on a vehicle, means for simultaneously rotating each tie-rod actuating means in the same direction and for simultaneously reversing the direction of rotation thereof, each tie-rod actuating means having a tie-rod pivotally and slidably joined at a first end to the tie-rod actuating means and joinable at the second end to one of the doors, with the first end of the tie-rod being slidable in an arcuate sector guide path in the tie-rod actuating means, means at one end of the guide path being capable of limiting downward displacement of the tie-rod when the door to which it may be attached is open and said same means at the guide path end upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in one direction lifts the tie-rod to maximum over center locked position thereby being capable of rotating the door into closing and locked position, and means at the other end of the guide path which, upon rotation of the tie-rod actuating means in the opposite direction through an angle defined by the length of the arcuate sector guide path and with the tie-rod stationary, forces and frees the first end of the tie-rod from maximum lifted and locked in overcenter position to fall unrestrainedly downwardly through the arcuate guide path thereby permitting a door to which it may be attached to rotate open rapidly by gravity, said tie-rods being lifted and locked in over center position, and subsequently released, substantially simultaneously.
 24. A mechanism according to claim 23 in which both tie-rod actuating means are mounted on the same horizontal shaft and each tie-rod actuating means includes: an arcuate sector, having the arcuate sector guide path therein, on the horizontal shaft, a drive gear on the horizontal shaft, said arcuate sector and drive gear rotating in unison on the horizontal shaft, and means cooperating with the drive gear to rotate it in two directions. 